The invention relates to printing machines and associated accessories used for the printing of images on articles of clothing. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for mounting articles of clothing onto a printing pallet.
The printing of images on articles of clothing (such as T-shirts and the like), is commonly accomplished using screen printing machines. Generally, these machines are provided with a series of pallet support means which are adapted to continuously transport a series of printing pallets to and from various printing stations located along the length of the machine. A screen printing apparatus of this general configuration is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,189, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In operation, the clothing or other fabric material to receive a print image is placed on the pallets so that the surface of the fabric to be printed upon is exposed to the printing mechanisms. The pallets are then indexed along a continuous path to individual print stations where printing heads are lowered toward the pallet and an image is transferred to the fabric. In instances where two-sided printing is desired, the pallet may then be turned over. If, however, the pallet is not adapted for two-sided printing, the garment must be removed from the pallet and remounted with the second side to be printed exposed to the printing head. In the past, the mounting of the garment onto the pallets was accomplished manually. Since the pallets are generally large and bulky, manual loading of the pallets is awkward and time consuming, thereby reducing the efficiency of the entire printing operation. Additionally, manual mounting often results in improper alignment of the clothing on the pallet, thereby causing poor quality prints.